Tears for Tomorrow
by Kinetic Dream
Summary: (Alt. Pairing, Alt. TL, S&K) There's trouble with our traveling trio, and Karou has some problems of her own on the home front!
1. Prologue: Tears for Tomorrow

Author Ramblings: First (posted) story, so don't kill me too bad, kai?  I've actually been writing fanfiction for about three years now, just be glad I didn't touch it before then.  *shudders at the thought of chibi-kinetic running around FF.net, posting like a five year old*

Anywho, this takes place around the end of the Revenge Arc, the final arc in the series, covered by the newest movie, I think, Reflections.  Now, I was stuck reading translations, but I think I got the gist of it.  Some spoilers maybe, but if you don't care, then read on, and tell me what you think.

I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, unfortunately.  It'd be nice to have some moneh, especially considering that I'm in college, and can use all the financial help I can get. *chuckles*

Alternate pairing.  You have been warned.

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Tears for Tomorrow

Kaoru wandered slowly through the empty dojo, her head hung low.  It seemed that everything she'd been a part of for the last year of her life was becoming more and more meaningless as the days passed by.  No one had heard from Sanosuke in days, not since the police had shown up and begun asking questions about where he might be hiding.  Not even Katsu had a clue where the ex-gangster might have run off to, but Kaoru was sure he was still escaping the grip of the law, otherwise the patrols would have stopped by now.  How long could he keep it up though?  No one can hide forever.  She sighed heavily, and walked into the training room of the Kamiya Dojo.  Kenshin had gone out that morning to continue his search for their friend, and yet, even the former assassin couldn't find any clues that might lead them to Sano, either that, or he just wasn't saying anything to her about it.  Kaoru laughed at that thought.  Looking about, she smiled a little, and began talking to herself, if only to reassure herself that her friend was safe.

"Of course Kenshin would tell me if he found Sano, he means just as much to me as Kenshin and Yahiko, and Kenshin knows that.  But still… both Saito and Kenshin are looking for him, and those two are the best that the government has to offer, yet not even they have been able to find a single clue as to where Sano might be.  I just hope that Kenshin finds him first…" she finished, her voice trailing off into the wind.  She bit her lip lightly, hoping that the infamous 'Wolf of Mibu' wouldn't sniff out her friend first, who knows what he might end up doing to the poor man.

Facing the back wall of the dojo, she fell to her knees in front of the small altar that rested there.  Closing her eyes, she tried to forget that her friend's life could be on the line, and she couldn't do anything except wait and hope that something might happen.

"Please…" she whispered quietly, as if hoping her words would be light enough to be carried away on the wind, "Please keep yourself safe Sanosuke…"

The silence around her was quickly broken by the sound of someone snorting, as if disgusted.  She jumped to her feet, grabbing a boken off the wall behind the altar.  Whirling around, she prepared to defend herself, the wooden weapon held tight in her outstretched arms.  As she turned, she asked sharply, "What do you think you're doing in here…"

For a moment, time froze.  She looked at the one who had intruded upon her, without announcing their arrival, and she felt herself unable to move.  There he stood in the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the frame, that cocky grin plastered onto his face.  Kaoru felt time begin to start up again, crawling at first, as he whispered, "…Sano…"

The young man winked at her, and smiled.  Walking slowly, he made his way over towards her, and she began doing the same, her pace slow, almost unbelieving.  As they neared the center of the room, he spoke.

"Ey Jou-chan, how's it goin?" he asked, his voice light and carefree, as if he didn't know that the entire Tokyo police force was after him.

Kaoru said nothing, continuing to walk.  They met in the middle of the room, and stopped, each staring at the other.  They stood that way for several moments, neither saying anything.  Finally, Sano lifted his hand and waved it in front of Kaoru, a concerned look crossing his face as he asked, "Ey, what's up, whatcha starin at?"

She sighed, and looked into his eyes, then smiled.  Sano, taking this as a good sign, smiled back, happy that she wasn't too pissed off at him for just disappearing like he had.  However, his relief was short lived.

"SANO NO BAKA!" she roared, cracking the boken over his head repeatedly.

"GAH!  God damnit!" he yelled as he turned and ran towards the doors, trying to get away from the insane assistant master who followed hot on his heels, continuing to attack the defenseless rooster-head.

He'd nearly made it to the door, when Kaoru threw the merciless wooden sword at his feet, sending Sano falling, face-first, onto the floor.  Hopping over him, Kaoru slammed the sliding doors shut, knowing, if he given the chance, Sanosuke could easily make his escape, but she didn't plan on giving him that much time.  She walked over to a very dazed Sanosuke, and, kneeling in front of him, lifted his head off the floorboards.  His lip was bleeding slightly, and some of it had already stained the dojo floor.  She gave him an evil glare.

"What's the big idea, huh?  You've been missing for days, and no one's heard a word from you, where have you been!?  Do you have any idea what you've put us through?  Megumi has been panicking, wondering if you haven't died, and they just haven't found your body yet!  Kenshin's been worried sick, just because he's your friend, Yahiko's been out patrolling with him this whole time, and Tae and Katsu don't know what to think!  God, what's wrong with you?  Don't you care that there are people who want to know that you're safe and sound, and who worry about you!?" she screamed, taking out days of frustration in under a minute.  Sanosuke blinked a few times, then allowed his eyes to meet hers.  Was that hurt in his eyes?  _"Of course not," she thought to herself, _"Sano's never cared about what I've said before, why should he now?"__

"What about you missy?   I didn't hear you mention yourself when you were saying that everyone's been worried about me," he whispered quietly.

Kaoru stared at him for a moment, then snorted, turning her head to the side, as she responded, "Of course I was worried about you, you're my friend, and that's what friends do for each other."

Sano, managing to get his knees to support his weight, lifted himself to a kneeling position, then placed her chin into his hand, turning his wrist slightly so she was facing him again.  His dark brown eyes stared into her light blue ones, almost wistfully, she thought.  Then, in one swift movement, she found herself wrapped in his tight embrace, his body pressed hard against hers.  Not expecting this, it took her a few moments to find her voice.

"Sano…" she began, whispering, "What's going on?"

"…I'm leaving, tomorrow morning," he responded, his voice breaking a little as he spoke.

Kaoru blinked in disbelief, unsure of what to think.  She felt her heart break at the words, because Sanosuke, one of her dearest friends, was about to walk out of her life, possibly never to return.  She managed to blink back the tears, as she encircled his body with her arms, rubbing his back softly, trying to comfort herself more than anything else.

"Where will you go?" was all she could ask, afraid that anything else might lead to her breaking down into tears.  It was already hard enough to hold back the tears, and it became far more difficult with each passing moment.

"China, Mongolia, maybe even as far west as India, where ever the ship decides to take me."

"Sano, you're just going to leave us?"

"I have to.  I can't stay here anymore.  I don't want you all to have to harbor a criminal, and besides, they will find me eventually if I stay here, so it's the only real option, isn't it?"   He chanced a glance back into her soft blue eyes, wincing slightly at the pain he saw in them, the pain he knew he was causing.

"There's nothing else?"  Sighing, he shook his head, hanging it in something akin to guilt or shame.

"Unless I want to be imprisoned for crimes I didn't commit, then possibly executed?  I don't think that anyone wants that to happen."

Kaoru hugged him tightly, a few tears falling to the dojo floor.  Sano frowned, and pushed her away about an arms length.  He looked into her gentle blue eyes, seeing them shimmer slightly.  He bit his lip, and sighed, realizing he probably shouldn't have come and told her in person, it would probably have been easier just to leave a note in the dojo like he'd planned to originally, describing his whole plan in detail.  But seeing her as she'd made her way through the empty dojo, seeming so depressed, he couldn't bring himself to leave with just a note, at least, not her.  Kaoru looked away, sniffling slightly, trying to delay the imminent waterfall of tears.  Sano took a deep breath, let it out quickly, and readied himself for what he'd decided to tell her.

Quietly, he rose to his feet, pulling the still clinging Kaoru with him.  Letting go of her for a moment, he took a few steps back, out of her embrace, running both hands though his hair nervously.  She stared at him in silence, lowering her gaze a little, biting her lip again, closing her eyes in a pitiful attempt to save face.

_"He'll never know now, not that he would have cared in the first place.  It doesn't matter that I love him, how he's always been there for me, for Kenshin, for all of us, how I wish I could tell him, it doesn't matter, because he's going.  I wish, I wish I could…"_ her thoughts jumbled, she hung her head lower trying to hide her frustration, her pain, her sorrow.

"Jou-chan…" he began, his voice wavering a little.  "I came here for a special reason tonight, besides telling you all that I'm leaving."  He pulled a letter out from his gi, tossing it onto the floor.  "I'd originally planned on just leavin this, for everyone, but seeing you…  I've been thinkin about somethin for a while now, and I just wanna say…" he stammered over the words, though Kaoru wasn't really listening anymore.  All she saw were Sanosuke's lips moving, forming words she couldn't hear.

_"I want those,"_ she thought.  _"I want to feel them all over me.  But it doesn't matter anymore, because he's going away, and he'll never, ever return."  Suddenly, another thought struck her.  __"If he's leaving, what have I got to lose?  If he rejects me, it won't matter, because I'll never see him again." _

She looked at his lips moving again.  _"I suppose now's the best time."  She lowered her head, working up the courage to do what had to be done._

"I suppose, what I'm trying to say is… Missy?  You okay?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, touching her cheek.

Kaoru looked up at him at the touch, on the verge of breaking down, biting her lip hard, another attempt to slow the tears.  She didn't say anything, but suddenly hopped up on her toes, and slammed her lips against his, kissing him hard, clutching onto the back of his gi, holding herself against him to reach his lips.

Sanosuke was shocked at first, but finally broke down, returning the young kendo instructor's affections, his hands pulling her closer to him, lifting her up off the ground, hands beginning to roam across her back absently.  After several moments, they broke their kiss, standing in silence, staring into each other's eyes, each battling with emotions boiling inside them.

Kaoru had thoughts of Kenshin to deal with.  What would the red haired swordsmen think of her, and Sano, if he ever discovered that she had betrayed his trust, and kissed his best friend?  _"He wouldn't be happy…"_ she thought, clutching tight to Sano's open gi.  He might even go so far as to kill Sanosuke in his rage, and she knew that no one other than the government wanted that to happen.

Sanosuke on the other hand, had to deal with both thoughts of his friend's reaction, what this did to his relationships with everyone in the dojo, and the consequences of both leaving, and staying.  He knew that staying would only make things worse in the end, Kenshin would end up leaving the dojo, broken hearted, but determined to continue his sacred mission, fighting for equality.  Yahiko might stay, or he might leave the dojo to follow his idol, leaving the pair alone, save for Katsu, Tae, and their friends in Kyoto.  The kiss didn't change the fact that the government still wanted him though, and staying here would only bring more trouble to his 'little missy'.  But by leaving, would he ever find another girl, no, another woman, as perfect as this young lady in the entire world?  He could scour the far corners of the earth, and even then, he knew his chances were slim.

"Sanosuke…" Kaoru mumbled into his chest, causing the big man to look down at her.  Lifting her eyes, she bit her lip and whispered, "You… you have to go.  I love you, but I can't protect you… please, for everyone, go?"

_"Why am I pushing him away?"_ she wondered.  "_Why is it that I can't accept the fact that he loves me?  Is it because all this time I thought he'd laugh at me, mock me, make me feel terrible, and never believed that he would be able to return my affections?"_

Nodding sadly, he turned, slowly letting her go, and walked for the door, leaving her with her painful thoughts.  He turned at the doorway, and smiled a bit.  "You know, I have to come back now…"

She nodded a bit, biting her lip.  "You know, I'll be waiting for you…"

Winking a bit, sadness resounding in that usual gesture of his, he turned, and walked out of the dojo.  The last thing Kaoru saw of him was the symbol on his back, fading into the gathering fog as a storm began to roll in.

_"Aku.."_ she thought, _"the symbol of evil.  It really doesn't fit you Sano.  When you come back, I'll make sure I take it off myself, I'll show you what you really are under that tough exterior."_  She smiled at the thought, then sat down, and cried.

**_Epilogue:  Sano never made it to China or Mongolia, the storm from that night kept him in Tokyo for another day, in which time the police were able to catch up to the gangster and place him into custody.  Several days later, he was released on request by one Saito Hajime, then mysteriously disappeared for half a year.  However, that is another story, not for this time around._**

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End Notes:  Yeah, I know, I don't know how good it is, but you all probably do.  Drop me a review about how much you hate/love/don't understand this paring down below.  Flames ARE expected AND accepted, so feel free to burn this thing down to the ground, as long as it's helpful to me to know what I need to work on.  If you wanna gimme praise and be all like, "OMG you is so great!" I'll take that too! ^^;;

I'm thinking about working this into a series, mostly cause I love the thought of Sano and Kaoru being together, which would be an impossibly long epic.  You should see some of the other things I've been writing.  *Nods towards 72 page ficcie*  Been workin on dat one fer bout two years now… eyup.  Heh, so feel free to drop me a review, even if you didn't like it too much, I love getting praised (and slammed) for my work.

-Kinetic Dream


	2. Prologue: Dealing with Wolves

Kinetic Notes:  You all should be impressed, not to mention proud of yourselves.  You managed to get me to update a story I had no intentions of touching, at least not until this weekend when Thanksgiving break begins, so give yourself a round of applause.  Okay, time for me to comment on (a surprising amount of wonderful) reviews, yayayayayay!!!!!        

            Mitzi:  You gave me your review on this a long time ago.  Thanks for pushing me to post this up here, otherwise it might never have seen the light of… a computer screen.

            Goldmund: Mythic, that's kind of what I was going for, except I never planned on adding on to this.  It was supposed to be a one shot, but, after some talking with my 'editor', it was decided that this should be a prologue, and, as such, it should have more than one chapter.  ^^  Don't worry though, the epic will come soon enough

            EEevee: A monkey, huh, I kind of imagined the same thing when I was writing it but, that is what I was going for after all.  You'll have to wait and see why though.

            Joey8: Woo!  I really didn't think it was that good at first, but now I figure, "Hey, it's not half bad."  ^^ Fixed my settings btw.

            Miyuki Nagizumi:  YES!  S&K (Blatant DDR reference .;; ) fans unite!  They do make a cute couple, and, seeing as how Sano/anyone besides Megumi and non-yaoi fics are uncommon, I figured, what the hell, lets throw it out there.

            HarukoNigihayami:  ^^;;  I really don't want too many people reading THAT one, it's no where near finished (okay, that's a lie, just act like I never made this comment), and I probably need to revise the whole first fifty or so pages, because my writing style's changed a lot lately.  But once I do all that (or start over on it ^^;), I'll be sure to post it for your all's enjoyment.

            Thanks also to Kay Kylo, kira-dono, Serenity Blossom, Clemen, and ESP for their comments.

            Yes, I pick and chose reviews, I know its bad form, but I'm lazy so sue me -_-  Every ten reviews I'll put up five that I comment on, unless there are a lot that I really really want to comment on! ^^

            I'm not really sure if this story is any better from the last one, but I needed to fit it in here sometime, and I feel like making you all wait for the really long chapter ^^; aren't I just so ebil?

            Let's get on to the real reason you're all here, kai?  Kai, lets go!

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            *Click* *Click* *Click*

            Footsteps made their way down the hall, a few chuckled laughs following behind, probably from the door.  Sanosuke's eyes rose, out of habit, to see who was walking through the cell block this late at night.  His eye twitched slightly as he shrugged, realizing that he honestly didn't care who it was.  _"Just a guard probably,"_ he thought, shrugging the sounds off, hanging his head in despair, until he realized that the feet had stopped clicking against the cool wooden walkway that ran between the cells.  He could feel a pair of eyes boring into the top of his head, somehow managing to get around the tangled, spiky mess he called hair.  Snorting a bit, he shook his head, trying to clear his nose of the acrid smell of smoke.

            "Well then, it appears the infamous gangster, Sanosuke Sagara, has finally been captured, and turned over to the proper authorities," a cool, dark voice said, chuckling.  "A pity, I was hoping I might catch him first, and take out his punishment immediately."

            Sanosuke's eye twitched again, he didn't need to look up to realize who it was standing outside his cell, the clues just fell into place.  The voice, confident, irritating, and anything but humble, is what really gave it away for him though, his most hated rival, the one man he would never be able to stand.

            "Saito Hajime," he mumbled, raising his head a little, eyes lifting to meet the Wolf of Mibu's near gold gaze.  Brushing a few bangs out of his face with his thumb, he grinned a bit before speaking again, far more sarcastic this time.  "What do I owe the pleasure of such a visit, from such a high and mighty officer such as you?"

            "No real reason, I really just came to mock you, considering we're back in the same position as in Kyoto, however your escape won't be so easy this time," an evil smile crossing his face as he flicked his near dead cigarette into the cell.

            "Well, that certainly seems like a good reason to me," he growled, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms in front of him, scowling at Saito.  "You're a real bastard, you know that?"

            Taking a draw off the newest cigarette he'd lit while the young man was talking, he sighed, letting the smoke filter out of his mouth slowly.  "Well, better a bastard then a whiny moron who always ends up on the wrong side of the law," he smirked, taking a step back as Sano lunged forward, slamming into the wooden bars of the cell, trying to take a grab at him, shouting profanities and curses at him.  "Che, still acting the part of a bratty child I see, a pity."

            Sano scowled, turning his back to the police chief, and walking back to his bed, sitting down hard on it.  Leaning his back against the wall, he crossed his legs over each other, 'Indian style', and his arms crossed as well, covering his chest.  "So, other than coming out here to make fun of me what el-"

            Saito cut him off by raising a hand.  "I'm not done yet moron."  Smirking that smug little smirk of his, he walked closer to the cell, enjoying this little victory of his.  Sano, sitting in silence, continued to glare at him, trying to plot some way of getting over there and smashing his face in before the guards realized what was happening, or before the fucking wolf moved.

            "Did you honestly believe that you could get away from us moron?  You surprised us by being able to stay hidden for so long, but we knew that, eventually, you'd try to get out of the country.  How does it feel," he grinned taking another step towards him, "To know that you were a dozen meters from freedom, only to fail in your escape?  Heh, you really are a moron."  Shaking his head and laughing, the Wolf turned his back to the young man, stepping to the side as the young man's hands reached out through the bars, grasping the air where the former Shinsengumi once stood.  "And still as slow as ever to boot, moron."

            Growling, he pulled his arms back in, crossing them over his chest.  "I'm not a moron Saito…"

            "Oh, then I suppose that's why you're behind bars and I'm out here then, isn't that right, moron?  I'm not the one being accused for the murder of a government official, am I?"

            "Shut up!  I didn't kill anyone!  That's a load of horse shit!"  By now, the young gangster had his hands wrapped tight around the bars of his cell, the blood draining out of them.

            "And still that horrible temper…" Saito clicked his tongue a few times, shaking his head, as if Sanosuke was a disgrace to the entire race of Japanese people.  He took a few steps backwards, leaning up against the wall, lighting another cigarette, stomping the second out.

            Sanosuke seemed ready to tear the grate off its hinges, and chances were that it would have been like snapping a twig from a dead tree for the enraged convict, and, if he did manage to escape, lord knows what a well placed Futae No Kiwami could do to the overly smug police captain.  The next statement caught him by surprise though, draining all his anger out in a single moment.

            "Perfect, for a job I want you to do," Saito glanced up, smiling a little.  Sano had learned, since that fateful he met the dangerous man, and ended up flying through a wall with half a blade embedded in his shoulder, never to trust a grinning wolf, but his curiosity was definitely getting the better of his, usually poor, judgment.

            "What are you offering me wolf?" he asked, turning his head a little, regarding Saito out of the corner of his eye.  As curious as he was, he knew better than to trust this damned beast with anything.

            "An opportunity Rooster-head… a chance for you to get out of here, free of your charges, and go back to your not so peaceful life of gambling, brawling, and generally making an idiot out of yourself," he muttered, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, flicking a bit of ash off of it while he continued.  "It's actually Tokio's idea, I would rather hang you on the spot, but she seems to think that you are actually more capable than you let on."

            Sanosuke blinked in disbelief.  "You let your wife boss you around?"

            "No, she threatened to take away my cigarettes… among other things," he finished quickly, turning his head to the side and coughing a bit.

            _"Heh, thank whatever deity that reigns over my life for soft-hearted, influential women," Sano thought, grinning up at Saito, who was still trying to shake off the threat, apparently._

            "So, Saito, what exactly does your wife have in mind?"

            Smiling a little, Mibu's Wolf turned back to the fool rooster-head.  "Tokio has no hand in what we decide your assignment will be, but you can be sure that it will test everything you're made of, moron."  Laughing at the boy's furious reaction, he put his hands in pockets and headed for the end of the corridor, smoke trailing upward from the dying cigarette in his mouth.

            "I'll be back in a few days with an assignment for you, a week at the most.  Get your rest, I have a feeling that it will be the best you'll have for a very long time."

            Fuming in his cell, he sat back down, crossing his legs over one another, arms back over his chest, and tried to blow off as much steam as he could, before he ended up breaking out, and getting killed.  He had hope now, a chance to get out, to see the world again, to live…

            _"To see Kaoru," he smiled, remembering the occasion a few mere nights ago.  She'd been so brash, so forward, so very unlike the Kaoru he'd seen before, but somehow, so very fitting for the situation.  It'd just worked perfectly._

            _"Maybe, things will turn out all right, I'll get out of here, have my charges dropped, get to see Kaoru, Kenshin, hell, even that little brat Yahiko again.  And maybe, maybe things will work out in this little hellish triangle I'm caught up in.  Of course, I could get out, tell Kenshin I love Kaoru, and risk getting my head lopped off, but I think it's best to think positive for right now.  After all, my memories and dreams are all I have anymore, because right now, there's nothing here for me."_

            And so, with that thought, Sanosuke Sagara, ex-gangster for hire, former member of the Sekihoutai, drifted off into a dreamless sleep, that didn't seem to far from his own life right now, helpless.

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            ^^  Once again, darkness prevails!  BWAHAHAHAHAH!  I don't usually write this dark stuff, especially for a romance, but I think it fits, what about you all?  I mean, it's got a kind of Romeo and Juliet 'star-crossed lovers' thing going on, don't you think?  A young couple, forced apart by circumstances, longing for one another… no worries, next chapter I'll explain more, mostly from Kaoru's side of the story, about why she did what she did.  I'm gonna try to shut up and not give anything away now; I'm just so awful about keeping my projects under wraps sometimes!  ^^;;

            Leave reviews, if you please.  Constructive criticism is just as powerful as positive reviews, as it allows me to see my weak points, in addition to letting me know that you read through it, even though you had some problems with it.  Practice makes perfect after all, unless you're playing Nonstop or Oni, then it's Marvelous.

-KD


	3. Prologue: Waiting

KD's Notes: Heee… you're all making me blush!  Wow, seriously, you all are the best, I have to say.  You're just showering me with complements, which make me want to write more! Even though finals are coming up! Oh crap I'm in trouble!  Oh well, over it now.  I've decided that I will, from this point on, reference all comments, cause you guys are all so nice to me!!  Thank you, ever so much.  I've got a special treat planned for you all after the prologue is done; I hope that you'll enjoy that as much as you have this one so far.  On with thank yous though.

Serenity Blossom:  Thanks a lot!  It's good to know that I have someone who's looking at this both object and subjectively.

  HarukoNigihayami:  Actually, this kind of reminds me of what happened in my relationship a few months ago.  You could be right about Kenshin, and I KNOW you're right about Meg, how'd you get so smart? ^^  Yeah, I always knew Saito was an ass… . I like the fact that I could let him laugh, cause that just seems like something he'd do to the rooster-head.

Eeevee:  Yes… among other things… . ^^  Glad you like my characterization of the wolf, he's one of my favorite characters in the series, so I feel I had to do him justice.

Dough Monkey:  =^^=  Please!  You're far too kind!

Estelle Stafford:  I'm glad you enjoyed it, cause I enjoyed writing it.  =^^= And even though I don't think it's uber fantastically amazing, you all, the public, really decide that for yourselves… and help boost my confidence!

Angie:  Heh… thanks a lot… *blush*

anj:  Longer chapters?  Huh, they're already kind of long, but I suppose I can try.

Puck:  Here you go, another chapter, just as asked.  You'll have to wait and see my friend.  And yet another foreign reader!  Wow, I didn't think I was that good to reach out to other countries… *blush, hide*

            Wow, that's a lot of reviews!  Thanks a lot you all!  You really are one of the driving forces behind my continuing to write this fanfiction, so be proud.

            This update's brought to you from lovely Lexington, KY, instead of Bethany, WV, seeing as how I'm home on break.

            Right, I'm babbling on again, so lets get on to the meaty, nitty-gritty stuff that you're all here for, sap-o-rama… INITIATE!!!

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Waiting 

            Kaoru took a deep breath, swinging her shinai back and forth in a vertical arc in the middle of the dojo grounds.  A thin layer of sweat had appeared on her body, the early morning sun giving it a slight glint, as if she were covered in dew.  Kenshin couldn't think of a better way to spend a morning, then watching the young assistant master run through her routine.

            _"She's like a flower,"_ he thought, smiling.  _"Fragile, beautiful, just waiting to be plu…"_  He laughed, shaking his head as he cut off the thought.  Kaoru-dono wouldn't be interested in anything like that, even though she'd expressed her love for him on countless occasions.  He still lived thinking that he was, in a word, unworthy.  Not just of her, but of anything that he had in his life now.

            He glanced at the sobakasu, resting now in his left hand.  A dozen years ago, he'd been out killing the followers of the current government.  He'd helped to bring in the Meiji era, creating a seemingly peaceful and serene environment.  Still, all governments had flaws, but he did not regret his decision to side with the Imperialist rebels.  That didn't change the fact that his hands were still stained with blood that had, visibly, washed away long ago.  His mind though, his feelings, emotions, wouldn't let him live the deaths down.  At night, he was often plagued by dreams of death, killings, massacres, suffering silently, pressed against one of the dojo walls, sleeping fitfully, never complaining, never admitting that there was anything wrong.

            _"Kaoru-dono's perfection must not be stained by my hand, I'm too far gone to be redeemed, everything I wish I had with her is a foolish fantasy.  She is, after all, a beautiful, caring, graceful flow…" _his thoughts were interrupted again by shouting, footsteps, and finally, being trampled by the stampeding Yahiko, trying in vain to escape the wrath of his 'busu' instructor.  Kaoru, as usual, had taken great offense to the name calling, and was now proceeding to beat her captive student into a senseless oblivion.

            Kenshin smiled, shaking his head after recovering from having his back used as a doormat.  _"She may be beautiful, like a flower, but she's got the temper of a caged beast, that she does."_

            Laughing inwardly, he walked over towards the pair, intent on making sure that not too much bodily harm came to the young swordsman.  "Maa, maa, will you both calm down, please?" he smiled that silly little smile of his, waving his hands in the air, like he often did around them, trying to separate the two.  Surprisingly, Kaoru gave up quite easily today.

            _"She seems distracted,"_ he thought, sighing inwardly.  _"We all are though, especially Megumi-dono, what with Sano being arrested.  But there's nothing we can do right now.  Doubtless we'll be hearing plans for his execution or exile sooner than any of us would like…"_ he sighed, shaking his head.

            Yahiko, noticing the motion and the sound, turned to the red-haired wanderer.   He tilted his head to the side, and asked, "Hey Kenshin, what's up?"

            Putting on his usual smile, he waved a hand in front of him.  "Nothing Yahiko, nothing at all."

            The young boy shrugged, and walked back out into the center off the dojo yard, picking up his practice back at the beginning, after much insistence and arguing between Kaoru and he.  Shaking his head again, Kenshin smiled a bit, but his eyes turned back to Kaoru.  Though she seemed fine and normal, there was something unusual, something he couldn't quite place.  He'd had this feeling ever since they were told that Sano had been captured, and was currently facing execution or excommunication for the murder of a government official.  She knew something, and she didn't seem to be planning on telling anyone about it, at least not yet.  He wouldn't force her to though, if she wanted to, she would in her own time.

_"At least… I hope she will, for her own sake."_

*********

            Outside, Kaoru tried to appear as she usually did, strong, yet gentle, quick to anger, devoted to keeping the Kamiya Kasshin style alive, though the bratty Yahiko, who she didn't have to pretend still irritated her to no end.

            _"That's one thing I'll never have to worry about having to fake.  Stupid kid,"_ she thought, nursing her wounded pride.  The small hole poked in her pride by Yahiko's relentless prodding and name-calling was nothing compared to the gaping chasm in her heart though.  Sanosuke was as good as dead, especially now that Saito had caught wind of the announcement of his capture; she'd seen him earlier that day, heading into the jailhouse where they were keeping the former gangster.

            _"If only they'd let me see him, I have to,"_ she thought, her mind wandering from watching her pupil to the tall, irritating, obnoxious, though very handsome rooster head.  _"What ever attracted me to him?"_ she wondered, as she had countless times before.  _"It's not like he can offer me anything Kenshin can't, in fact, Kenshin can offer me more!  He's well known, favored among the officials in the government, he cleans, and he's willing to work.  Sano… all he can do is lounge around, gamble, poke fun at people, drink…**and be the one stable thing in my life."**_  

            Her eyes widened a little as she came to that realization, and tried immediately to shake it off, to get that haunting thought out of her head as quickly as possible, but, it was not to be.  Over and over in ran though her mind, _"He's stood beside me, no matter what happened, even when Kenshin went off to battle Shishio.  Sano stayed for a few days, and at least tried to make me feel better, then he promised to go off and bring him back for me.  As lazy and cruel as he might seem, he's really a good-hearted person, just like Kenshin, who's trying to make his friends more comfortable.  Sure, he has some bad habits, like drinking and gambling, but so does Kenshin with laundry and being far too proper with everyone he talks to."_  Her eyes wandered a little, stopping on the rurouni for a moment.  _"It seems, sometimes, that he's afraid of me, or of what he could do to me.  He knows I'm attached to him, but he's afraid to act on it.  Sano wasn't though, all his teasing, the winks, the sly remarks, I just feel so much more comfortable around him, because he can be himself."_

_            "And besides all that,"_ she thought, sadly, _"Kenshin could run away from me at the first sign of trouble, while Sano would at least be able to stand by me, wouldn't he?  He did stop by the dojo, took a chance, just to see me.  He could have used it on Megumi, but he came to see me, to talk with me, to hug me, to…"_ her face flushed visibly as she remembered that night not yet a week ago.  It had seemed so right, clinging to the idiot rooster, kissing him, having him hold her.  It all seemed like a dream now, but it was so very real.  She could almost feel his lips on hers again, the warm scent of his body, covered in sweat from the run over to the dojo, avoiding being spotted, the way he made her…

            "Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked, tapping her on the shoulder, seeing her face redden as she had been staring off into space, instead of watching her pupil run through his practice.

            Her cheeks brightened further, if that was possible, her blue eyes standing out brilliantly against the redness that had wormed its way onto her face.  "Y-yes Kenshin?"

            He smiled, scratching the back of his head a little, most likely out of nervousness.  "Well, you seemed a bit flushed, that you did.  So I thought I would ask if you were all right…" his voice trailed off, as he smiled, awaiting an answer.

            "I'm fine Kenshin, really I am," she smiled back, the blush finally beginning to fade back to her cheeks, and then disappear.  Kenshin nodded slightly, walking back up to the porch of the dojo, and sitting down.

            _"As much as he cares, he's really just too timid,"_ she realized.  _"Sano's far bolder indeed, at times anyway, and I need someone who isn't always waiting for my approval before wrapping me in his arms, holding me, kissing me, making me…"_ her thoughts stopped suddenly, as she shook her head, dispersing the blood that was rushing to her cheeks again.  _"Focus on Yahiko, not Sano, there's nothing you can do now, except hope, and pray that somehow, someway, he'll be able to get away, and you can finally go to him, where you belong."_

*********

            From his perch on the porch, Kenshin watched silently, wondering, _"Since when did Kaoru have a thing for Yahiko?  She can't seem to stop blushing while she's watching him practice.  That concerns me a little; maybe I should confront her about it.  A relationship like that would definitely be looked down upon, even in this day and age."_  He nodded, deciding he'd bring it up after dinner tonight.  Kaoru had begun making a habit of walking out to the docks at night, that would be the best time, no distractions.  His decision made, he smiled, and turned back to watching the pair in the dojo yard.  Kaoru had stopped his practice, and was now adding in something new, not that it concerned Kenshin at all.  He was quite content with the Hiten Mitsurugi style, and had no intentions of taking on another style, at least not in this lifetime.  Settling down, he waited for the sun to rise higher, so he could finally get started on the laundry that he and his companions had neglected on their journey to meet with Enishi less than two weeks ago.  With things beginning to return to normal, minus one Sanosuke Sagara, he could try and get back into a routine, and take his mind off his best and closest friend's current situation.

*********

            Sanosuke was bored out of his mind.  He'd been in prison for almost a week, waiting for Saito to show back up, and the officer had yet to show.  As much as he hated that stupid wolf, Saito did hold his only chance at freedom, and he was willing to do anything to get it.

            While he'd been waiting, he'd taken to staring at the walls, the bars, and the ceiling, trying to find designs warped in the wood, or playing little unsolvable mind games with himself, which only served to frustrate him further.  As of now, he was focused on the ceiling, his thoughts trying to decide if one particularly warped plank was more like a flat-chested woman, or a  naked Kenshin.

            _"They do bear quite a resemblance to each other,"_ he smiled, chuckling at the thought.

            *Rap rap rap*

            Sano sighed, turning his head a little from the ceiling, thankful for the distraction that might be able to take his mind off wondering what Kenshin would look like naked, not that he hadn't seen before.  It just didn't seem right that he would be thinking about it while locked away from all civilization.  Well, except for the guards, who changed so often that Sano had no hope of keeping track of their names, much less starting a conversation with them.  They seemed like they didn't want to have anything to do with the captured gangster.

He groaned inwardly, seeing Saito standing in front of his cell, that smug little smirk, complete with cigarette hanging out of the left side of his mouth, layered across his face.  As promised, The Wolf had returned.

            "So…" Sano mumbled from where he lay, turning his attention back to the ceiling.  _"I'd rather look at a naked Kenshin then the smart-ass wolf any day," _he thought.

            "So I've got something set up, interested?" Saito asked, taking a long draw off of his cigarette.

            "Che, like I've got any plans to lie and rot in this cell?  I'd take death over this situation Saito," Sano snorted, sitting up, glaring at the police officer before getting up and walking over as close as he could get.

            Saito let the breath he'd been holding out, flooding the younger man's face with the noxious fumes of the cigarette the now grinning wolf held in his right hand.  "That can be arranged without sending you out on this mission you know."

            "Cut through the shit Saito, I'm really not interested in it."

            Shrugging, the former Shinsingumi 3rd squad leader pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to the gangster.  "All you need to know is on here, I'll be here tomorrow, bright and early to get you, and offer you one more chance to stay here, or be executed for your crimes.  If you continue on, there's no turning back."  He glared as Sanosuke, his gold eyes narrowing sharply, taking on an even more slanted look than usual, as he took the paper, glancing over it.  "Make now mistake moron, if you try to escape and quit on this job, I will personally hunt you down, and kill you myself.  My wife won't be able to save you if you're dead."  Turning, he marched back down the corridor, glaring at the two officers on guard, who stepped aside quickly, fearing for their lives.

            Turning the paper over a couple times, he folded it over on itself twice, then placed it down in the waistband of his pants.

            _"Don't worry Saito, I've got problems to take care of with this guy anyway, and it goes back further than you'll ever realize…"_ he thought, watching the retreating wolf, who shot him one more hard glance before leaving.  Sighing, he went back to his bed, lying down on the hard wood.  Pinching the bridge of his nose, he shook his head several times.

            _"All for you little missy, wait for me,"_ he thought, closing his eyes, and trying to get some sleep, he'd need it for tomorrow.

            Sleep failed to come for the young gangster though, his thoughts drifting back to his mission.  Saito wanted him to get involved in a fighting tournament on the other side of the country.  Simple enough, though the orders specifically stated that he couldn't use the Futae No Kiwami during the tournament.  Still, no worries, he was confident enough in his own abilities as a fighter, and his hand had yet to fully heal anyway.  However, one thing did trouble him, the sponsor of the tournament.

            "Garret Minokin…" he mumbled, growling as the name crossed his lips for the first time in well over three years.  "Damn foreigners, think they can come in and show us all how to live?  Well, won't he be surprised to see me again?"  He chuckled a bit, taking out the orders again, reading the objective.

            _Target is to be killed, dispose of the body in anyway that you see fit._

            Smiling, the young man closed his eyes again, envisioning each and every way that he would make Minokin suffer for his crimes, not only against him, but against his friends as well.

_____________________________

            ^^  I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, as it's most definitely one of my longer ones.  Sorry this took so long to write, I'm caught up in preparing for finals (two weeks away as of this Thursday, EEEEE! *Panic*), projects, waking up at 4:15 in the morning to go help stores get ready for the 'Thanksgiving Rush' (you grocery store workers know what I'm talking about), and coming home, but I'll try to start the REAL story before I head back to school, next Sunday, maybe post a chapter or two.  Until December 14th though, don't expect very many, if any, updates.  ^^  If there are some, consider them gifts, from me to all of you.  Responses, good and bad, are welcome!

-KD


	4. Omake: How the story originally went

Kin-D's Notes:  Yeah, I decided to put one last thing in this series for you all to enjoy.  It's an extra chapter, and really has nothing to do with the flow of the story, it's just I don't feel right re-posting a story that's very similar to the first chapter, especially as a one-shot.  So… it's an EXTRA!  *Explosions go off, confetti flies down, balloons float up into the sky, and general cheering is heard all around*  ^^;  A little over the top, but I can live with it..

This one was written a little while back, so it might not flow as well as the others, but you all have an idea of how I've built up the relationship between Sanosuke and Kaoru now, so it might make a bit more sense than if I'd posted this as the original "Tears for Tomorrow".  Sorry about forcing you all to read through a lot of the same stuff again, but I can't seem to bring myself to take any of it out, even if it is redundant, it just takes away from the story for me…  I hope you all understand.  Luckily, I've included a little marker that looks like this:

 )(---------------)(

So you'll be able to find where the story changes pace, in case you don't want to read everything that I wrote in the first chapter again.

Reviews:

            Nigihayami Haruko:  ^^  I am rather perverted at times, but I think it's funny the odd pairings people can come up with at times.  I'm not really a fan of Yaoi, but it seems half the stories about Sano are Sano/Kenshin, so I thought I'd poke fun at that a bit.  I'm not really that insight… okay, maybe a little.  Took me forever to get her thoughts exactly the way I thought they should be, but I think it turned out well enough! ^^

            Estelle Stafford:  Yeah, I liked that bit too.  I don't mean to make Kenshin seem stupid, but he does come off that way sometimes, especially when there's no one after his life.

            Serenity Blossom:  Ah gots da flow!  *Groves*  Right… .;;  Anyway, glad you liked it, cause I loved writing it!

            EEevee:  I'm a bit scared to ask, but how longs a bit?  Also, I love your story Responsibilities; it's just great, fantastic and all that!  ^^;  Not even I, the not very mighty and not quite yet manly Kinetic Dream, can resist the powers of a six year old.  O.o Tell my you're all right!  I don't think I could live if I killed a reviewer!  *cough* Your dogs are weird by the way…

donna8157:  I'll probably toss him in a dumpster somewhere… .  Kidding, kidding.

Una Persona:  I have a feeling I know this reviewer…  ^^;  Please, you didn't actually say that I was so great, I'm really just trying my best!

Wow, that always tires me out for some reason.  Doesn't mean stop writing them though!  ^^  Anyhow, moving on with the last chapter.  Lets take a look at what happens when I actually play, at least a bit, by the rules of the story.  Blah, rules…

*********

Kaoru wandered slowly through the empty dojo, her head hung low. It seemed that everything she'd been a part of for the last year of her life was becoming more and more meaningless as the days passed by. No one had heard from Sanosuke in days, not since the police had shown up and begun asking questions about where he might be hiding. Not even Katsu had a clue where the ex-gangster might have run off to, but Kaoru was sure he was still escaping the grip of the law, otherwise the patrols would have stopped by now. How long could he keep it up though? No one can hide forever. She sighed heavily, and walked into the training room of the Kamiya Dojo. Kenshin had gone out that morning to continue his search for their friend, and yet, even the former assassin couldn't find any clues that might lead them to Sano, either that, or he just wasn't saying anything to her about it. Kaoru laughed at that thought. Looking about, she smiled a little, and began talking to herself, if only to reassure herself that her friend was safe.

"Of course Kenshin would tell me if he found Sano, he means just as much to me as Kenshin and Yahiko, and Kenshin knows that. But still… both Saito and Kenshin are looking for him, and those two are the best that the government has to offer, yet not even they have been able to find a single clue as to where Sano might be. I just hope that Kenshin finds him first…" she finished, her voice trailing off into the wind. She bit her lip lightly, hoping that the infamous 'Wolf of Mibu' wouldn't sniff out her friend first, who knows what he might end up doing to the poor man.

Facing the back wall of the dojo, she fell to her knees in front of the small altar that rested there. Closing her eyes, she tried to forget that her friend's life could be on the line, and she couldn't do anything except wait and hope that something might happen.

"Please…" she whispered quietly, as if hoping her words would be light enough to be carried away on the wind, "Please keep yourself safe Sanosuke…"

The silence around her was quickly broken by the sound of someone snorting, as if disgusted. She jumped to her feet, grabbing a boken off the wall behind the altar.  Whirling around, she prepared to defend herself, the wooden weapon held tight in her outstretched arms. As she turned, she asked sharply, "What do you think you're doing in here…"

For a moment, time froze. She looked at the one who had intruded upon her, without announcing their arrival, and she felt herself unable to move. There he stood in the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the frame, that cocky grin plastered onto his face. Kaoru felt time begin to start up again, crawling at first, as he whispered, "…Sano…"

The young man winked at her, and smiled. Walking slowly, he made his way over towards her, and she began doing the same, her pace slow, almost unbelieving. As they neared the center of the room, he spoke.

"Ey Jou-chan, how's it goin?" he asked, his voice light and carefree, as if he didn't know that the entire Tokyo police force was after him.

Kaoru said nothing, continuing to walk. They met in the middle of the room, and stopped, each staring at the other. They stood that way for several moments, neither saying anything. Finally, Sano lifted his hand and waved it in front of Kaoru, a concerned look crossing his face as he asked, "Ey, what's up, whatcha starin at?"

She sighed, and looked into his eyes, then smiled. Sano, taking this as a good sign, smiled back, happy that she wasn't too pissed off at him for just disappearing like he had. However, his relief was short lived.

"SANO NO BAKA!" she roared, cracking the boken over his head repeatedly.

"GAH! God damnit!" he yelled as he turned and ran towards the doors, trying to get away from the insane assistant master who followed hot on his heels, continuing to attack the defenseless rooster-head.

He'd nearly made it to the door, when Kaoru threw the merciless wooden sword at his feet, sending Sano falling, face-first, onto the floor. Hopping over him, Kaoru slammed the sliding doors shut, knowing, if he given the chance, Sanosuke could easily make his escape, but she didn't plan on giving him that much time. She walked over to a very dazed Sanosuke, and, kneeling in front of him, lifted his head off the floorboards. His lip was bleeding slightly, and some of it had already stained the dojo floor. She gave him an evil glare.

"What's the big idea, huh? You've been missing for days, and no one's heard a word from you, where have you been!? Do you have any idea what you've put us through? Megumi has been panicking, wondering if you haven't died, and they just haven't found your body yet! Kenshin's been worried sick, just because he's your friend, Yahiko's been out patrolling with him this whole time, and Tae and Katsu don't know what to think! God, what's wrong with you? Don't you care that there are people who want to know that you're safe and sound, and who worry about you!?" she screamed, taking out days of frustration in under a minute. Sanosuke blinked a few times, then allowed his eyes to meet hers. Was that hurt in his eyes? _"Of course not,"_ she thought to herself, _"Sano's never cared about what I've said before, why should he now?"_

"What about you missy? I didn't hear you mention yourself when you were saying that everyone's been worried about me," he whispered quietly.

Kaoru stared at him for a moment, then snorted, turning her head to the side, as she responded, "Of course I was worried about you, you're my friend, and that's what friends do for each other."

Sano, managing to get his knees to support his weight, lifted himself to a kneeling position, then placed her chin into his hand, turning his wrist slightly so she was facing him again. His dark brown eyes stared into her light blue ones, almost wistfully, she thought. Then, in one swift movement, she found herself wrapped in his tight embrace, his body pressed hard against hers. Not expecting this, it took her a few moments to find her voice.

"Sano…" she began, whispering, "What's going on?"

"…I'm leaving, tomorrow morning," he responded, his voice breaking a little as he spoke.

Kaoru blinked in disbelief, unsure of what to think. She felt her heart break at the words, because Sanosuke, one of her dearest friends, was about to walk out of her life, possibly never to return. She managed to blink back the tears, as she encircled his body with her arms, rubbing his back softly, trying to comfort herself more than anything else.

"Where will you go?" was all she could ask, afraid that anything else might lead to her breaking down into tears. It was already hard enough to hold back the tears, and it became far more difficult with each passing moment.

"China, Mongolia, maybe even as far west as India, where ever the ship decides to take me."

"Sano, you're just going to leave us?"

"I have to. I can't stay here anymore. I don't want you all to have to harbor a criminal, and besides, they will find me eventually if I stay here, so it's the only real option, isn't it?" He chanced a glance back into her soft blue eyes, wincing slightly at the pain he saw in them, the pain he knew he was causing.

"There's nothing else?" Sighing, he shook his head, hanging it in something akin to guilt or shame.

"Unless I want to be imprisoned for crimes I didn't commit, then possibly executed? I don't think that anyone wants that to happen."

Kaoru hugged him tightly, a few tears falling to the dojo floor. Sano frowned, and pushed her away about an arms length. He looked into her gentle blue eyes, seeing them shimmer slightly. He bit his lip, and sighed, realizing he probably shouldn't have come and told her in person, it would probably have been easier just to leave a note in the dojo like he'd planned to originally, describing his whole plan in detail. But seeing her as she'd made her way through the empty dojo, seeming so depressed, he couldn't bring himself to leave with just a note, at least, not her. Kaoru looked away, sniffling slightly, trying to delay the imminent waterfall of tears. Sano took a deep breath, let it out quickly, and readied himself for what he'd decided to tell her.

Quietly, he rose to his feet, pulling the still clinging Kaoru with him. Letting go of her for a moment, he took a few steps back, out of her embrace, running both hands though his hair nervously. She stared at him in silence, lowering her gaze a little, biting her lip again, closing her eyes in a pitiful attempt to save face.

)(-------------------)(

"Jou-chan…" he began, his voice wavering a little.  Kaoru looked up at him, on the verge of breaking down, biting her lip hard, another attempt to slow the tears.  She didn't say anything, just stared into up at his face, wondering what else he might be trying to tell her.  The two stood in silence for several moments, simply staring at each other.  Then, Sano coughed, and looked away.

"… Never mind missy, I shouldn't have even shown up here anyway.  It was a mistake," he muttered, turning around and making his way for the doors that'd lead him to the dojo grounds.  Kaoru stared at his back for a moment, before walking up quickly behind him, and placing her hand on his shoulder, stopping him dead in his tracks.  She motioned for his to turn by pulling her hand towards her, cause the ex-gangster to spin slowly, until they were staring at each other once again.

"It must be pretty important," she began, "if you came to tell me yourself.  So… why are you here Sanosuke?"

            He winced out of habit.  She didn't call him Sanosuke unless she was about to kick his ass around the dojo, but this time, she looked concerned, as if she actually cared about what he wanted to tell her.  He took a deep breath, and let it out quickly.  Smiling, he whispered, "I love you Kaoru," then turned again, and began making his way back towards the door.

His pace quickened from before, as he hoped to escape her wrath, but, more importantly, the rage of his best friend, Kenshin.  There was no way that either of them was going to take this well, and he wanted to be far enough away when the shock wore off that they couldn't hurt him.  He didn't hear the rustle of her clothes as she jumped, nor her growl as she hurtled through the air towards him, but he did feel the impact of her body against his, as well as the floorboards impacting with his face for the second time that day.

She lifted his head off the floor again, and growled, "Sano… it's not nice to play games with the hearts of women, and I thought you would have figured that out by now."

He sneered, and snapped, "Who's playing games!?  I was being serious!  I don't kid about things like that, damnit.  Now, get off so I can get out of here!"

Kaoru sat, awestruck at what he'd just said.  _"He actually meant it…"_ she thought, as the realization of what she'd just done sank in.  She hung her head in shame, realizing she'd probably screwed up one of the few solid relationships that she had in her life, not that his leaving wouldn't, but still, she felt incredibly guilty.  She got up slowly, muttering, "I… I'm sorry Sano.  Just, get up and…"

Sano rose to his feet, cracking his neck to the left, then the right, as he snorted, "Yeah, yeah, get the hell outta my dojo and never come back, right?"

Kaoru shook her head, and looked up into his eyes.  "Get up, and kiss me…"

With that, she jumped, embracing Sano, as she stretched up, bringing her lips to his, shutting her eyes tightly as she did so.  The confidant young man felt time stop as the woman he loved pressed herself closer to him, too dumbstruck to do anything for a moment.  Then, he wrapped his arms, gently, around her, closed his dark brown eyes to the light of the world, and pressed his lips back against hers.  They stood that way for several moments; lips locked together, arms entwined around each other's bodies, nothing breaking the stillness of the moment.  Then, Sano pulled away slowly, his eyes cracking open, trying to block out the spots that appeared from the reappearance of the light.  Kaoru did the same, opening her eyes quickly, and smiling up at him.

"Kaoru… why?" Sano asked, unable to figure out why this had happened.

"Because Sano, you and Kenshin… you both mean so much to me.  At first, you were like a brother to me, but I soon found that I loved both you and Kenshin so very dearly, to the point beyond a family-type bond," she responded in a whisper, tapping his forehead, as if it should have been common knowledge.

"But, why've you been chasing after Kenshin this whole time instead of both of us?"

"Because, by the time I realized that I loved you, you'd begun flirting with Megumi through your little word spats.  I didn't want to interfere."

Sano blushed, a little embarrassed by the entire situation.  The woman he loved had felt the same way for him all along, but he'd been too blind to realize it, now that really hurt.  Unable to think of anything else to say, he stammered, "Uh… eh… ah…"

Kaoru laughed, and placed a finger to his lips.  "Shhh…" she whispered.  "Don't worry Sano; this'll stay between us, all right?  Kenshin doesn't have to know, it'll be our little secret, okay?"

Sano nodded and slid a pair of notes into her hands as he turned around and began walking away again.  "The white one's for our little group, but the one with the blue symbol's for your eyes only jou-chan," casually tossing the words over his shoulder, as he made his way out into the dojo commons.

Kaoru looked down at the blue marked note.  The symbol on the front read, _Aku_, evil.  She opened it quickly and read:

_Dear jou-chan,_

_If you're reading this, then I probably didn't have the strength to tell you it myself in person.  Throughout our adventures as the Kenshin-gumi, we've become stronger as a group, able to make up for someone else's weaknesses.  Some of us have grown in other ways too, like Kenshin.  He's obviously become very attached to you, more than any of us.  Except for me.  Jou-chan, I know it probably doesn't mean much anymore, but I love you.  I just wanted you to know that in case anything ever happens to me and I don't get to tell you in person.  I wish things could have been different between us that I might be able to stay, give Kenshin a run for his money in the race for your affections, but I think we all know who'd win in that race.  He's a much better man then I'll ever be, and so I'll leave you two to your own, while I go off on my own little journey.  Hopefully, I'll be able to find myself a jou-chan, but if not, promise me that you'll always be my little missy, even if my free-loading ways get on your nerves, and let me know that I'll always hold some place in your heart, at least as a friend._

_Sayonara,_

_Sagara Sanosuke_

As she looked up from reading it, she heard the dojo door shut, and sighed, then got to her feet, awaiting Kenshin's return to the dojo.  As she walked, she opened the other letter.  It had a time and place where they might be able to catch him tomorrow.  The Kenshin-gumi had plans to make if they were going to get down to the docks in time to see Sanosuke off, and that's exactly what she'd do.

That night, after both Kenshin and Yahiko had gone off to bed, Kaoru set about, writing a letter to Sanosuke.  Five minutes, and she was done, the words flowing easily.  She went to sleep that night, happy.

---------

"Good luck Sanosuke!" Yahiko shouted from the shoreline, waving his hands wildly over his head, as if his voice didn't carry far enough on its own.

Kenshin smiled, and nodded.  "Yes, good luck Sano.  May your journeys eventually lead you back to Japan."

Kaoru said nothing, just watched Sano's face as he opened the letter that she'd given him before the ship had pushed off.  He looked up, after reading it, and winked.  "Thanks jou-chan, this really means a lot," he whispered, hoping she'd hear.  She nodded, as if she'd actually been able to make out what he'd said, though by now the ship was well on it's way out to sea, the figures on the dock now only shades of what they'd been a few moments ago.

_"Funny that,"_ he thought.  _"It's like watching a part of my past disappear, fading away into memories.  It hurts, but there's always a tomorrow, just over the next horizon."_  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw only the open sea, stretching out for miles and miles.

Sano's eyes fell again to the paper, and he smiled, folding it up, and shoving it into his gi.  Leaning back against the railing of the ship, he allowed her words to run again and again through his head:

_Of course you will Sanosuke, I said you meant that much to me.  And as for Kenshin, while he is a wonderful person, that doesn't mean you aren't.  Your short temper and attitude are what make you so wonderful to me; so don't ever sell yourself short.  If you ever do return to Japan, and Kenshin hasn't made a decision about what's to happen between us, I think that you might stand a chance.  You never know rooster-head, the tanuki-girl might be falling for you too…_

_Love always,_

Kaoru Kamiya 

*********

End Notes:  Ah yes, so very bittersweet, but I think it's pretty good.  I know I took a few liberties with the end of the story, but what the hell, it's not like I'm going to follow the book exactly, right?  Guidelines are for those who live by rules or are afraid to travel off the beaten path!

Oops, I shouldn't soap box, I have no idea what I'm talking about.  *blush*  Anyway, this was the original way I wrote the first (and last) chapter, lot more depressing than mine I think.  Of course, it's up to you all to decide for yourselves!  Write me a review about how I should have used this instead of my original story starter, and just stopped there, or about how much you loved/hated this little fanfic shpeel I shared with you all.  Heh, anyway, this ends the prologue, hope you all enjoyed this EXTRA *again with the explosions, balloons, confetti, and cheering* chapter!


	5. First Act: Business as Usual

.

.

*Wanders in slowly*  Wow… I have fics up here! O_O  When did this happen?

Eh heh… sorry about the very long wait everyone, it seems that my muses decided to wander out on my during finals week, and I've been without focus since then.  It's really been quite bothersome.  So, I'm still writing this without them, so it might not be my best, but I just can't stand not writing anymore!  By the way… if you see them… Their names are R.D. and Karen, they're about five years old, and loooove apple juice.  O.o  I'd like them back…

REVIEWERRRRRRSSSSSSESS!

Nigihayami Haruko- Oro… sequel?  I might, but not until this one's well enough underway to where I can keep pumping out chapters.  And my other one too, but I'm glad you like this one.  Sorry for the repetition, but I didn't want to confuse anyone by just hopping into the middle of the action.

Serenity Blossom- I loooooooves it too!!!  XD

EEevee- I prefer endings where everyone is… satisfied.  It leaves the story open to be expanded upon, and generally gives a feeling of a second chance at life.  And I'm sure we've all needed those at one time or another! ^^  I really need to catch up on YOUR fic though!  O.o  I haven't been on here in almost two months.

Estelle Stafford- I figured some people would, that's why I threw it out here for you all to enjoy (after some editing of course).

Kay Kylo-  Ahh… sorry, I didn't mean to confuse anyone!!  It's the way that I originally wrote the story, so it's like the first chapter but the unedited, painful parting of ways version!  ^^;;

BelleDayNight- But of course!  This story has become very important to me!  If my muses would stay in one place long enough, I could probably pump out a chapter a day, but as such, they're running away right now… with sippy cups of apple juice -_-

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!  I'm sure some of you are long since gone already, what with me not being able to keep pace, maybe I can pick up some new readers.  Thanks, everyone.  You've made this story worth continuing.

==========================

**BEGIN ACT ONE**

Business as Usual

Sano sat in his cell, staring blankly at the wall.  His mind had been wandering a lot lately, thoughts of his friends on the outside, how he always seemed to coerce Tae into giving him a free meal, but most of his thoughts lingered around Kaoru.  Her image always hovered around his mind, ever present, ever torturous for the imprisoned man.  The feel of her skin, her lips, her body against his; dark raven hair framing a beautiful pair of blue eyes, sharp nose, and an amazing smile.

_"And now, I might not ever see her again, if this mission goes sour,"_ he realized, running his thumb along the cool stone wall that kept him from his freedom.  Sighing, he closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the thoughts that troubled him.  It did little though, and his mind continued to wander back to his life outside.  It seemed like it'd been such a long time, though it'd only been a week at most.  Being able to tell time was one of those things that was a privilege in prison, only the inmates close to finishing their sentence had a window in their cell, and, since he'd be in for life at best, that was out of the realm of possibility.

His thoughts were broken by the short 'Clip-clip' of shoes making their way down the hall, most likely towards his cell.  The groans and whines of other inmates fell upon deaf ears as the young officer stopped in front of Sanosuke's cell.  He couldn't have been more than a year older than Sano, but his cold features, and ruthless brown eyes made him appear closer to thirty.

"Time to go, scum…" he growled, unlocking the cell, swinging the door open wide.  He stepped back, waiting for Sano to walk out.  When he didn't he turned back to the gangster, and shouted, "DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?  I told you to get out, and I expect you to do exactly as you're told, you worthless gutter scum."

Stretching, the spiky haired prisoner rose to his feet, taking small, measured steps towards the cell door, and out into the hall.  Upon reaching the officer, he turned his head, blinking at the man.  "You know of course," he began, smirking, "that if I wanted, I could hit you hard enough to where no one would be able to recognize you, since your bones'd crumble to dust."

The officer bit his lip, his confidence wavering a bit, but then shoved the muzzle of the gun he carried into Sano's chest.  "Get moving, Saito doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Peh… whatever, I really don't…" Sano silenced himself as the guard pushed the muzzle harder against his chest, obviously at the heart.

"Get… moving," he growled, though the fear on his face showed that he was actually terrified.

_"Of course, who wouldn't be?"_ Sano thought, grinning as he began to walk.  _"He knows that I can make good on that statement, and that gun can only give him so much security… Peh, whatever though, it's really not worth my time to think about beating the shit out someone like him, when I'm going to have plenty of chances to do that over the next little bit."_

As they continued through, more guards joined up, probably trying to make sure that he wouldn't be able to make a break for it.  Mentally, he kept track of their number, and, after a few moments, decided that if he really felt like it, he could take out half of them in the first blow, then use a Futae No Kiwami, and blow the rest of them off their feet.  But, he had a more centralized interest today, this mission.  Minokin, and a chance at revenge.

"Ah… I see that the moron actually came along.  Maybe he's not stupid after all, just foolish," Saito's smug voice echoed through the entrance of the prison.  Sano growled as the man's sharp features came into view, that every present cigarette dangling out of the side of his mouth, though it wasn't lit yet.

_"Though… given the choice between killing Minokin and beating the shit out of this guy, I'd be hard pressed to give an answer,"_ he thought, biting his lip to keep from saying too much.  Being on the wrong end of about ten guns and the legendary Wolf wasn't exactly his idea of a good time.

"Well moron, I guess you've decided to go along with our little plan?" Saito asked, pulling out a match box, moving to light his cigarette.

"Yeah, seems like the best option," Sano shrugged, keeping his eyes locked on the Wolf.  He still didn't trust him, though they'd been forced to work together before.

"Listen, I really don't want to waste too much time on this, it's really a waste of time for me to explain, you'll forget anyway," Saito spoke around the cigarette, taking a pull off of it, while Sano glared and fumed at the smug smokestack.  "But, I suppose you do need a briefing.  You know your target, the mission, the conditions, and where it will take place.  There've been a few changes though, and as much as I fought it, the officials want it this way."

Sano stood, curious now.  _"Saito looks pissed, wonder what's got him so riled up about a few changes in the mission?"_

"You'll be working with two partners, you know both of them.  I would have preferred you go alone, but some people think it's better if missions are handled with… teams," he almost spat the word, and Sano wasn't too surprised.  He wasn't called the Wolf of Mibu for nothing, and he could more than hold his own in a fight, no matter who it was against.

"So, can you tell m…" he began, before Saito raised a hand, glaring at him.

"I'm not done yet, moron."  Lowering his hand, he continued, "You know both your partners, you'll be meeting up with them in Kyoto.  Now, you can talk."

Sano glared at Saito, wishing to every god in the world that they would wipe him off the planet.  Struggling a little, he managed to give him a cocky smile.  "Doesn't sound too bad… I guess I'll get more information when I get there?"

Saito nodded, taking another draw off the cigarette.  An evil smile crept across his face, and he chuckled lightly.  "Oh yes… one more thing before you get escorted…"

"Neh, what's that?" Sano asked, giving his trademark grin.

"You'll be riding the train."

Sano's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by the butts of five guns which suddenly decided to get acquainted with the back of his head.  He slumped to the ground, his vision fading quickly, and ended up face down in the dirt, unconscious.

"Pick that up, and carry it to the train station.  The train for Kyoto leaves in an hour," Saito growled to his subordinates, who quickly agreed, four of them managing to lift the moronic rooster up and place him on a cart that was already waiting outside.  Saito watched, smiling smugly as the cart made its way down towards the train station.

"Ah, the joys of being in charge," he chuckled, taking another draw off his cigarette, turning, about to make his way down towards his office.

"Hajime… was all that really necessary?" a softer voice called from the doorway, stopping the Wolf in his tracks.  "Honestly, the poor boy's been through enough as it is, and these next few months will be very difficult for him."

"I know what I'm doing Tokio, have faith in me," he smirked a little, not bothering to turn back to his wife.  He heard a slight sigh, and the rustle of hair against skin.  "Tokio… trust me."

"Fine Hajime, but make one wrong move and I won't hesitate to beat you," she laughed quietly, and Saito could almost see her winking at him.

"Of course Tokio, but it's like that with every mission, isn't it?"

She giggled again, then whispered, "Don't stay too late tonight," and with a rustle of clothing, Saito was alone again.

"Of all the women in Japan, I do believe I found the best one…" he chuckled, making his way back to his office.

"Ugh… damn.  Where am I?  Ow, my head…" Sano groaned, finally beginning to regain consciousness.  Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see a thin white cloth covering them.  He could almost see through it, but there was just too much going on to focus on.  Voices, there were lots of voices, and a strange 'clack-clack! clack-clack!' sound that seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place.

"What the hell is this?" he growled quietly, surprised as the voices around him suddenly stopped, and he heard footsteps headed in his general direction.

_"Oh damn, maybe I should have stayed quiet,"_ he thought, as he felt someone reaching up and untying something in the back of his head.  The white cloth fell away, and Sano was momentarily blinded by the huge rush of sunlight.  As the spots slowly faded, he began glancing around, trying to figure out where he was.  Turning around, he found himself face to face with a transparent reflection of himself, and a vision of the Japanese countryside flying by.

His eyes widened as he suddenly remembered Saito's words, _"You'll be taking the train…"_

"GET ME THE HELL OFFA THIS TEA KETTLE!!!" he shouted, thrashing about wildly, only to discover that his hands and feet were bound together.  Continuing to thrash, he tired to break his bonds, but to no avail.  The guards around him, all dressed in civilian attire, were certainly getting a kick out of it, as were the other passengers, who had been told it was a little bit of entertainment on their short trip to Kyoto.

Finally giving up fighting the bonds, he howled in frustration, "This train's possessed!  We're all gonna wake up in a SEWER!!!!"

After several more comments, one of the guards, tired of his comments, walked up to Sano, covering his mouth with a light cloth.  As Sano breathed in to try and 'warn' the other passengers again, he suddenly felt a warmth descend over him, and no longer felt the need to yell, or fight, just to sleep.  Yes… sleep would be very good indeed.

Several hours later, his eyes cracked open again, and he found himself sprawled out over a bed.  Sitting up, he rubbed the side of his head, looking around.  He was obviously in a western style inn of some sorts, since the bed was actually elevated, and had several mattresses under it.  He groaned a little, standing, legs wobbling a little, and made his way towards the door.  Without warning, it burst open, and the rooster head was immediately tackled by some unknown force.

"SAAAAAAAANOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" the thing on top of him called out, hugging the gangster's head tightly.  Still under the influence of the sleeping drug from earlier, he blinked, glancing up at the figure holding him.

"Who…?"

"SANO!" it shouted again, hugging him tighter.  "Oh, everyone was worried about you, well, except Aoshi-sama because he never worries about anything, but I was worried and Oman and Okan were worried, and Jiya was worried, and everyone in the Shirobecko was worried and… YOU'RE ALIVE!!!" it shouted, strangling him again.

As the fog in his mind lifted, he cracked his eyes open slowly, and saw…

"Oh.… who are you again?"

Whoever it was glared down at him, and let go of his head, which quickly fell and thudded against the floor.  Crossing her arms, she turned her head away, pouting.  "Stupid rooster-head, you know who it is and I can tell that you're more than happy to see me!" she laughed, patting the top of his head, seeming to be over the comment from earlier.

_"Who ever she is, she's, affectionate," _he thought.  _"Not to mention a little spastic."_

"So, I heard that you got arrested by Saito two weeks ago in a letter from Kenshin, and that you were probably going to be sentenced to death, and that there was no real hope for and that Saito's an ass and…"

"Aw geez woman, would you stop ramblin'!" another voice shouted at her from the doorway.  Sano turned his head weakly, and blinked in surprise.  Sitting up suddenly, he shook his head in disbelief, the fog finally lifting from his mind.

"Don't tell me that you two are my partners!"

==========================

Who are Sano's partners (As if I couldn't be more obvious… ^^;)?  What exactly are the new specifics of this mission he's on?  What is his relationship with Minokin?  Why did I decide to do another chapter on Sano when Kaoru's obviously the more popular character!?  Most of these and more, answered next time!!

Yeah, I had a bit of fun writing this one, maybe a bit too much.  Also, I've lost my editor/slave driver/supporter, so it might not be as clean cut as the other chapters.  WHAT INJUSTICE!!!  T_T 

Once again, I'd like to apologize for my lack of updateness, but I plan on changing that very, very soon.  Who knows, my next chapter might be up later tonight ~_^

Thanks again to all my uber sexy reviewers.  Feel free to comment and/or flame my works.  I will GLADLY take anything you tell me into account.  It's the only way I have to improve.  G'night!!!


	6. First Act: The Wolf's Compromise

Author Ramblings - Whoosh!  Update time!  ^^  Sorry it's taken so long to update, but between college, depression, and getting very sick, I haven't had much time out of my bed.  Of course, if things keep going the way they are now, one of those is going to disappear from my life for a while, which means I'll be more in the mood to update!

Chibi-K.D.: Oh yeah, I caught my muses!  *Holds up a pair of five year old children by their shoe laces.*  They're tricky, but I got 'em

R.D. & Karen:  But Kinetic… we wanna write Naruto fan fiction…

Cb-K.D.:  *Twitch* …No.

And now, to thank those who commented!  Oh, they're so talented to write in and tell me what they think! ~_^  XP

Atomic Garden:  Hey now, thanks a lot, but don't sell your own work short.  I really enjoyed reading that this afternoon (Part of what got me inspired to update my own).

fireflies: With so many people getting confused by that little break in the action, I may have to remove it and place it at the end of the story when it's done, meh, for now it stays.  Glad you like it!  I'm really getting a kick outta this, more than I though I would originally.

Nigihayami Haruko: Well, he was still under the influence of the sleeping drug, so his mind was still a bit foggy, but he recognized them at the end.  Let the chapter of enlightenment begin!!

Pu:  Very good questions, but I can't answer any of them, because I've yet to plan out the rest of the story ^^;

BelleDayNight:  With reviewers like you all, I should have no trouble keeping myself motivated!  Ah!  Youth!  Power!  Explosion!!

EEeveee: It's DONE!?  YAY!  I'll have to read it right away!  …After this of course .  Yeah, I'm a bit bum'd about losing my whip wielding counterpart, but I think I can manage for a bit.

*Disclaimer, yo*

Just a friendly reminder that most of these characters are not my own, though the storyline I'm using is.  I am no way affiliated with Rurouni Kenshin, other than trying to pay tribute to the series by writing cute little stories, and trying to piss off those fans who always stick to the usual couplings by throwing new and different ones in there.  Please, don't take the time to sue me, you'll spend more on a lawyer than you'll ever get out of me.  Thank you for your time.

All right!  Reviews done, disclaimer randomly reposted!  Ready for action!  Story… GOOOOOO!!! -Far too much Excel Saga… o_o;

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The Wolf's Compromise

            Karou sighed, biting her lip softly.  She stared up at the clouds, and though the sun was beginning to rise, she took no comfort in that fact.  The quickly warming air did nothing for the cold, dead feeling in her chest.  She closed her eyes, brushing away the tears that managed to slide out from her eyelids.  Opening them, she blinked a few more times, and thought back to the events that had transpired the previous day.

-----------

            "Karou-dono?" a timid voice asked from behind her.  She didn't even have to turn to know who it was, only one person spoke to her with such respect, even if she didn't want it.  She sighed quietly, watching the sea and sky, as the sun set, the colors of the heavens mingling beautifully in the blue-black abyss.

            "Good evening Kenshin," she responded, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to catch the scene in front of her in her memory.  "What brings you out here tonight?"

            "Karou-dono, I'm worried about you, that I am.  You've been very distant since Sano's arrest, and it just seems that, well…"

            Karou bit her lip, trying hard not to say anything.  As much as she thought she loved Sano, she couldn't deny that the wanderer caused her have similar feelings.

            _"They're so different, but so very alike too.  They both want to see justice brought to those who've done wrong, they're both protective, but both in their own way.  Why does it have to be so difficult…"_ she thought to herself as the wanderer rambled on about something, as usual, trying to laugh off his nervousness.

            "…and so Karou, even if you do love him, I don't think that what you're doing would be acceptable at all," Kenshin finished with a sharp nod.  Karou was dumbstruck.

            _"…He knew about Sano and me all along!?  Oh, god, now he'll want nothing to do with me!"_  She panicked inwardly, her eyes brimming with tears slowly as she realized that everything in her life was falling apart.  She hugged the rurouni suddenly, holding him tightly.

            "Oh Kenshin!  Don't leave!  First Sano, then Megumi, if you leave too it'll just be too much!"

            The red-haired swordsmen blinked a few times, then pushed her back an arm's length, smiling at her.

"Have no fear Karou-dono, I had no plans on leaving.  I just came down to tell you that, even in this day and age, a relationship between you and Yahiko would be very much looked down on!" he smiled wider, closing his eyes, thinking he had done the right thing, and then ended up sampling the fine dusty taste of the dirt road down to the docks.

"KENSHIN YOU IDIOT!!!" she shouted, storming off towards the dojo, leaving the wanderer to 'oro' his evening away as the world swirled around him.

-----------

She smiled a little at that memory, wondering how in the hell he could have come up with a silly idea like that.

_"Me?  Love Yahiko?  As more than a brother, hah!  What on earth was he thinking?  I know that we're not even in a close age range to each other… besides, by the time he DOES grow up, I plan on already being married to someone.  Or… that's what I hoped anyway."_

She shook her head thinking again.  It was really all too much.  Kenshin didn't seem to show any real interest in her whatsoever, other than as her protector and Sano, after finally confessing his love to her was…

-----------

In his office, Saito took another long draw off of the cigarette he held between his fingers.  Slowly, he let the smoke escape from his lungs, circling around the already cloudy office.  Maybe Tokio was right, maybe he did smoke too much.  He glanced over at his ash tray, full, as usual.  He chuckled a little, shaking his head.  No, he'd never stop smoking, he'd done it for too long, and actually didn't mind it that much anymore.  With a little effort, he stamped out his latest butt in the tray, then leaned back, nodding a little.

"God, last night was a mess," he growled, shaking his head a couple of times.  "What are those morons thinking?"  Closing his eyes, he thought back to the late meeting the night before, trying to discover their logic.

-----------

"I won't stand for this!" Saito growled, slamming his hand onto the tabletop.  His amber eyes burned with the ferocity of his animal namesake, dangerous, deadly, infuriated with those who would dare try to do anything to question his superiority.  The elderly man at the other end of the table, sided by two guards sighed, shaking his head a little.

"Hajime… we've already talked this though," he began, his voice telling his age, but still remaining strong.  "The boy will be a diversion while our troops move in, taking out Minokin's entire operation.  Of course, the boy will be sacrificed, but it's all for the safety of our country."  The old man chuckled a little.  "Funny, isn't it?  He'll have spent his whole life fighting the current government, only to support its continued existence as he falls from this world."

"That doesn't make it right!" Saito shouted, glaring harshly at the elder.  As much as he teased the rooster headed gangster, he realized what a valuable asset he was.  The skills and lessons he learned through years of leading the third squad of the Shinshingumi had stuck with him, and he realized that the wasting of lives could be avoided, or lessened, if only…

"I must request that he be accompanied then," Saito mumbled, sitting back down, some how regaining his cool.

"Hajime, I don't believe that's the best course of action."

"And why not?  You're sending him to his death.  Would you rather tell Himura that you knowingly killed his closest companion?  Would you be willing to admit that you had me lie to this boy, telling him that he had a chance of survival when he's outnumbered three hundred to one?  That you would sacrifice him, just to keep your own officers safe?"

A twinge of fear shot across the older man's face as he silently considered what the head officer had just said.  The guards on either side of him shuffled about, sensing the man's nervousness.  Saito's lip curled into a slight grin, almost able to smell the fear that radiated off the old man.

_"Yes… you forgot to take into account that Sanosuke was a close friend of Himura's didn't you,"_ he snickered a little, still grinning.  _"Hmm, if only I had attained that level of infamy, maybe I would be the one's giving orders right now."_  Brushing off his thoughts, he listened coolly to the elder officer as he began speaking.

"I see your point Hajime.  What do you suggest?"

"I have two people in mind who I would like to see accompany him.  One is a special officer of mine from Kyoto.  The other is the leader of the Oniwabashu, one Aoshi Shinomori…"

"Are you sure we can depend on them?"

"Indeed, I don't see any problems from either of them, well, except for my officer.  Sagara has a history with them though, so they should be able to work together quite efficiently," Saito smirked a little as he spoke, realizing he was slowly but surely winning him over.  By not placing himself, or any other officials in the mission, and by using outside sources, the Rooster might survive, which was in his best interest.  The wolf always enjoyed having useful pieces at his disposal.

After several moments of silence, the grizzled old man spoke up.

"Very well Hajime, we will honor your request.  If they are as skilled as you say, we should be able to escape without too many causalities.  As always, it's been a pleasure working with you, you have a keen mind, quite useful in planning attack strategies.  I trust you'll want to help lead the assault on Minokin when it's time?" he grumbled, getting slowly to his feet.

"Absolutely," the wolf responded, smirking again, pulling out a cigarette and placing it between his lips…

-----------

"So wait, you're telling me that I've got to work with the two of you?" Sano groaned inwardly, leaning his head back against the western style bed.  _"Who the hell elevates a bed anyway?  It just guarantee's a fall when you roll off it in your sleep," _he thought angrily.

"Heh, yeah Rooster-head, ya hit that one right on the head.  I'm impressed now, I figured it woulda taken ya twice as long as it did."

"Hey, shut up Broom Hair," Sano growled, glaring up at Chou, a sword-hunter turned government agent.

Chou glared back.  He HATED that nickname.  Just because it was true didn't mean everyone had to make fun of it!  "Now listen up ya idiot!  It doesn't matter if yer right 'er not cause…"

"OKAY!!!" the girl shouted, jumping between them, holding her arms up.  Her long, black braided hair bounced against her back, and she turned to examine each of them in turn.  Finally, she smiled.  "There's no reason for us to be fighting anyway!  We're going to be a team, so we may as well get used to it!" she nodded, closing her eyes, as if that would make her statement anymore true.

The two spiky haired hooligans grumbled a little, glancing between the ground and each other, until Chou finally spoke up.

"All right!  Listen up Rooster head, I'm sorry, but we gotta get goin now if we plan on makin it up to Minokin's camp by tomorrow evenin'," the blonde swordsmen smirked a little, ready to unload on the opponents that awaited him there.

"YEAH!!" Misao shouted, thrusting her fist into the air.  "Let's go kick some foreign ass!"

Sano, sighed a bit, shaking his head, but smirked.  He looked between the two of them and nodded.  "Yeah, lets get going, I'd hate to keep Minokin waiting," he laughed, grinning as he stood and cracked his knuckles.  The trio made their way out of the hotel, and headed down the road to their destination, the fighting tournament.

=======================

Wellllll… I promised that I'd answer some of your questions, which I did.  But, I bet a couple more have popped up.  Gimme some time, I'll answer them as the story goes on.  Once again, sorry about the lack of updates.  This chapter in particular was hard for me to write because I felt that I needed to give him a reason to have partners.  Originally, I had him going at it alone, but that didn't seem to work, but maybe I'll find a way to make it eventually ^^;  After this, the chapters should flow smoother, and faster, but I don't want to get your hopes up.  No matter what though, I'll keep on trudging along, updating once a week or so at least.

Also, a bit of advice.  STAY AWAY FROM GAIA!  Seriously, Gaia suddenly took up a huge portion of my life for about a week when I was sick, it's addictive.  Just a little public service announcement ^^;

  Thanks for reading!

-K.D.


	7. First Act: Traveling Blues

A/N: First of all, I must again apologize, che seems I do that every time I update anymore, huh? There were several… unexpected things that kept me from posting my story, mostly personal. I hope you all can forgive me for my faults, and still enjoy my story

Okay! Now that the hard part's over with, I'm ready to get going.

Now, onto my every so lovely reviewers:

Estelle Stafford: Hah, I do try my hardest, thank you.

Puck: LONG time no see! Hah, it was a couple months then, but now it's more like a year and a quarter! ; I always saw Saito as more of a mentor to Sano, but very hands off, teaching him how to deal with situations besides beating the crap out of things, and I tried to capture that in this story.

Shinpiteki Aka Vaz: Glad to know that there are other Sano/Karou fans out there, and I don't plan on taking this off. Hopefully, it will be finished though!

Fiaea: Glad you like it. Chou's one of my favorite 'villian' characters, next to Anji.

SailorKagome: -chokes down cookie- Ah… thanks!

Thank you all for your kind words, you helped me gain back the courage to continue to post this story, even after so long.

Once again, apologies, and I hope you all can still enjoy my writing style as I try my best to weave this tale of adventure, romance, and redemption as it has played out in my head for the past year. Thank you very much, and enjoy the chapter.

Omake & Disclaimer

Kin: Yo yo yo, check it out, K.D.'s back in the heezy for reezy! Hit 'em up with the disclaimer mah bruffah!

Kai: (Kin's brother) Whatever… Kinetic doesn't own much of anything in this story aside from the plot, and one character thus far known as Garret Minokin, a pretty lame name in my mind.

Kin: Stick to the script!

Kai: sigh All other characters are from the popular Japanese animation Rurouni Kenshin and belong to their respective owners.

Kin: In other words, I ain't gett'n paid fo dis!

* * *

**Traveling Blues**

The night was dark, and Misao stood alone outside of the Aoiya, letting the cool breeze run past her, the wind playfully tossing the long braid of black hair out behind her. It felt so good to be home, especially after that incident with Enishi. Finally, she could relax. A sudden sound of rustling clothing startled her out of her thoughts. Turning quickly, kuni in hand she pointed one out at her, as of yet, shadowed opponent. "Freeze! Who are you and what're you doing back here?"

The shadow said nothing, but walked forward into the soft moonlight. Misao stood stone still, shocked. "A-Aoshi-sama," she finally whispered, dropping her weapons and flinging her arms around the stoic leader of the former Oniwabashu. "Aoshi-sama!" she said again, excited to see her lover return from his daily meditations.

Aoshi looked down at her and, was that a smile? Was her Aoshi-sama finally beginning to soften? Misao blushed, her heart beating excitedly as she looked up into the chilling blue eyes he possessed. At once, his arms were around her, his body pressed against her, and he whispered softly in her ear, "Misao, I'm so proud of you."

The young ninja-girl's blush deepened, but her leader still continued. "You helped save all of Japan, and have grown up into such a beautiful young woman. Misao, would you…"

"Y-Yes Lord Aoshi?" she mumbled, closing her eyes and moving her face towards his.

"Would you… snap out of it you stupid weasel girl!" he shouted.

At once, Misao's eyes shot open, and she found her face inches from Sano's. The rooster-head was flushed, panting, as if he'd run to catch up with her.

"You idiot, you've been leading us in circles for the past hour! Pay attention to where we're going!" he shouted, shaking his heavily bandaged fist in front of her face.

Realizing it was just her imagination running wild, her dreamy, confused look contorted into a snarl. "Oh yeah, fine, blame the girl! I see how it is; you could just have easily been leading, but noooo! 'Misao, whenever I head off somewhere, I always end up getting lost!'" she whined, attempting to imitate Sanosuke's voice.

This set off a whole new slew of insults between the two, mostly starting or ending with 'weasel', and 'rooster'. Chou leaned back against a nearby tree, watching them go at it with a resigned sigh. He may be working for Saito now, but that didn't mean he had to get along with either of these, civilians. It struck him as funny; just a few months ago he had gone toe to toe with the one known as Himura and, to a lesser extent, the rooster-head. The kuni that buried itself next to his head caused him to stop thinking, and turn back to his two violent partners.

The verbal argument between the two had escalated, and now they looked about ready to tear each other's heads off or at least give the other a good pounding. Standing about ten feet away from Sanosuke, Misao stood at the ready with her kuni, vowing something like she wouldn't miss again, to which the thug replied that he wouldn't let a stupid weasel get off another chance. Shaking his had, Chou stepped between the two of them, glaring at Misao, then Sano.

"Shut da hell up, both ya," he growled, causing his partners to pause and assess this newest threat. "We're s'posed to be workin as a _team_, not takin each other out, it'll be bad enough if we gotta do that in the tournament." He looked between the two of them again, hoping he'd done the right thing and wasn't about to get riddled with kuni, or blown to pieces for that matter. Thankfully, both of them relaxed, though they still glared at each other. This would be another moment they'd swear never to forget, but would eventually pass, as had all their arguments in the past.

Nodding, Chou lifted a slip of paper from his belt, waving it some before opening it. "Now that the mission is underway, I've got some additional information from Captain Hajime." As he read over it, the other two waited intently. With a few more brief nods, Chou folded up the paper and started down the path. "We'll talk while we walk, we don't have time to waste.

Sanosuke and Misao shot one last glance at each other, and then hurried after their broom-haired companion.

* * *

"Fresh Vegetables! Freshest in town!"

"Tofuuuuu! Tofuuuuu! You'll find no better meal than one filled with Tofuuuu!"

"Sake! Sake! hiccup I've tasted it myself, and this is a fine batch!"

Karou shook her head at the vendors as they called out to her, trying to get her attention, not to mention her meager earnings. It felt like years since she'd been down here to buy food, what with the battles against Shishio, then Enishi and her subsequent kidnapping, Still, it was enough to take her mind off of Sanosuke, if only for a while. Still, shopping could only do so much, for so long, and her thoughts began to drift to the previous night.

"Those idiots," she growled, clenching her fist tight around the basket of vegetables she had bought for tonight's dinner, referring to the guards she had encountered. Throwing her voice to sound a little deeper, she did a rather poor impression of them. "'Oh, sorry, but he's a dangerous criminal and we can't let anyone besides Saito see him,' what nerve!" she shouted, nearly throwing the basket to the ground in her blind rage. Thankfully she caught herself before the future dinner was ruined. On the other hand, she failed to notice where she was walking until too late.

_CRASH!_

In the next instant, Karou found herself on her rear, vegetable basket overturned a few feet away, and the greens covered in dirt and grime. Before she could shout, or even move, she saw a soft hand reach down to her.

"Oh, my goodness! I'm so sorry young lady, you aren't hurt too badly are you?" the quiet voice attached to the hand asked, almost panicked. Looking up the hand to the arm, then to the face of the speaker, Karou suddenly discovered that she couldn't find words to even whisper. A soft face, showing just the slightest hint of crow's feet around her beautifully set sapphire eyes, shrouded by a black veil of silky hair, her face only further intensified by the pale purple kimono she wore around herself. The creature in front of her, for there was no way it could be human, was stunning, to say the least.

As if a world away, Karou took the woman's hand, and allowed herself to be helped up. All throughout, the woman continued to apologize, but Karou missed most of it, still entranced by this woman's appearance. After a few moments, and a concerned stare from the older woman, she shook her head.

"I-I apologize, I wasn't looking where I was going and…" Karou stammered, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse.

"Oh, are these yours?" the woman asked, pointing to the vegetables, most likely festering with bacteria by now. Following her finger, the kendo instructor gasped, and hurried over to them, trying to salvage what she could of 'dinner', before giving it up as a lost cause. Kneeling down by the basket, she shook her head, closing her eyes. This simply was not her week. Covering her eyes with her hands, she struggled to keep herself strong, not for anyone's sake but her own. At once, she felt a comforting presence behind her, and lifted her head from her palms, turning and looking up at the woman who had run into her earlier.

"I'm so sorry… I should have been more careful young lady," the woman smiled weakly.

"No… no I should have been. I apologize," Karou returned the weak smile, getting to her feet and dusting herself off.

"Please, allow me to make up for ruining your dinner by inviting you to my home to eat tonight. You can bring your husband and child too," the woman smiled.

"H-husband? Child!" Karou yelped, blushing deeply, shocked that the woman could think such a thing. She didn't look that old, did she?

"Yes… children. An attractive young woman such as you must already be married, and it seems like too much food for simply two people to eat on their own, or am I mistaken?" she asked, looking genuinely concerned that she had offended the Kamiya girl.

Shaking her head, Karou allowed the blush to slowly fade. "No no, I'm not married, I simply have thr…" pausing she bit her lip, dropping her eyes for a moment as she finished, "two houseguests."

"Oh, I see…" the woman whispered. "Well, none the less, the offer still stands. I would like to make up ruining your meal. I promise it will be edible."

Karou smiled, laughing softly, before realizing she hadn't properly introduced herself. In a small panic, she bowed her head, "I'm sorry, I'm Kamiya Karou."

The woman bowed softly back, smiling as well. "It is truly a pleasure Karou, now, if you don't mind, I would like to show you to my home. I shall have my husbands go and get your guests." Gracefully, the older woman began leading Karou through the city, walking as quickly as the confining kimono would allow.

Following along behind, the younger woman was treated to quite a sight. This was where the upper class lived. Either her husband was a former samurai, or a very powerful government official. They continued walking for several more minutes, before stopping.

"Never a place like home is there Karou?" the older woman smiled, pushing her way into the house. "Dearest! There will be guests tonight!"

"What have I told you about guests? You know that I despise them, I'm not even sure I can prepare a meal for any more people," another voice, much harsher snapped out, causing Karou to jump. She knew the voice, but the tone made it difficult to place. However, when the kind woman's husband walked into view, still complaining quietly, there was no doubt in her mind, this meal would be one of the most difficult ones to endure.

* * *

A/N Ex: Serious Karou stage time this time around. I felt it was only fair, I've given her illicit lurver so much time, almost ignored her. Don't worry though, she'll definitely have more now. Stay tuned next time when our intrepid trio arrives at Minokin's complex, and the Kenshin-gumi will attempt to survive the most dangerous dinner EVAAAAAAH! Who could this mysterious couple be? Do you know? And what the hell's up with Misao coming along instead of Aoshi? Some of this and more, next time!

Like the newish style? Hate it? Got any advice to get me back on the writing horse? Review my readers, tell me what you think. I, for example, don't like how this story isn't uploading the way it used to, so I'll likely be tinkering with it until Ifeel it's right. Anyway,till next chapter, Kinny D, signing out.


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